


Deirfiúr

by orphan_account



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M, Flashbacks, Friendship, Implied Relationships, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-21
Updated: 2012-11-21
Packaged: 2017-11-19 05:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/569880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tooth gives Jack a special Christmas gift - another, deeper look into his past. </p><p>Contains minor movie spoilers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Deirfiúr

Jack’s white hair whisked into his eyes as a chilling gust of wind danced around him. He looked out at the white wilderness, perfectly content. The Guardians had reconvened to help North and the yetis with one last push for Christmas. It was the first Christmas after Pitch’s uprising, and everything needed to go swimmingly.

Jack had been removed from the workshop - apparently “testing toys” was not a valid contribution to North’s well oiled machine of a holiday - so he decided to come out and breathe some air in the comfort of the snow.

“Hey, Jack!” Tooth’s wings fluttered, carrying her over the snow. “Sorry about in there.”

“Nah, it’s okay.” He stuffed his hands in the pocket of his sweatshirt and kicked at some loose snow, blasting ice on it and freezing it mid-air.

Tooth blew warm air on her hands and rubbed them together. “I got you a Christmas present early!”

Jack raised an eyebrow and smiled smugly at her. “Really? What for?”

“...For Christmas! I know we agreed to forgo gifts, but... I couldn’t help it!” Jack could hear the sound of buzzing wings approaching. He let out a small yelp as he felt a small pinch on his ankle.

Jack looked down to find Baby Tooth holding a very familiar case of lost teeth. 

“I know you said you didn’t want to waste them, but I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to see just one memory for a special occasion!” Jack’s eyes remained fixated on the small box. “It’s a happy one. I promise.”

"Are you sure?” He brought the box up close to his face, examining it closely and handling it with care.

“It’s time,” Tooth replied, and her loyal mini-fairy tapped the box with her beak in agreement.

Jack pressed his finger to the lid of the box, the intricate design lighting up from the inside. The light swallowed him whole. He came out on the other side a changed man.

 

* * *

 

It was like he was dreaming - but he was both in the dream and observing it at the same time. Jack’s hair was now a rich brown, as were his eyes. His hoodie became a heavy cloak made out of some type of animal hide. The snow had become a mix of dirt and twigs.

There was a fire burning in the middle of a small field surrounded by small huts. People were gathered, chatting away over a stew. Jack heard people speak his own language for the first time in years.

“Is fada liom uaim mo mhuintir,” the Gaeilge rolled off his tongue like he hadn’t been avoiding it for a lifetime.

A smaller and somehow skinnier Jack ran up to the fire. “Athair, an féidir liom go bhfuil roinnt deoch?”

The broad-shouldered man smiled down at his son, giving him a pat on the back. “Aye! An deoch is fearr do mo mhac.” 

He handed his mug over to the boy. Jack couldn’t have been more than ten, but he was nearly jumping with enthusiasm. He reached out for the mug and brought it quickly to his face, foam overflowing and spilling onto his cheeks.

“Níl ach beagán!” His father scolded, but Jack continued to gulp down the drink. 

It warmed him up from his belly all the way to his cheeks. After a few seconds, his dad snatched the mug away. Jack let out a hiccup. All the men surrounding the fire began to laugh, but they were soon interrupted.

“Tá an leanbh ag teacht! Tá an leanbh ag teacht!” A young woman, clutching at the ends of her dress, ran out of one of the nearby huts, almost colliding with Jack on her way to his father. “Ní mór duit teacht ar aon uair amháin!”

The man set his drink down and ran after her. Jack, blissfully unaware, attempted again to steal his father’s drink, only to be thwarted by a similarly-sized man to the right of him. After what felt like a few hours of scheming and prancing around the fire, Jack’s father returned, looking for him. He held out his hand and waited for his son to join him on the walk back into the hut.

Inside the hut, Jack’s parents were joined by the woman from earlier. His mother was reclined, holding a coddled baby close to her chest, keeping it warm. "Tá tú deirfiúr," she smiled weakly at Jack, and he climbed up on the bed to look closer.

His baby sister slept peacefully, eyes scrunched shut, occasionally shifting around to find a better spot in her bundle of blankets. Jack reached a finger up to her face, stroking her cheek softly. He looked up into his mother’s eyes, and she gave him a nod. Jack reached into her arms to pick up the small infant, and brought her close to his chest. He had a sister.

"Tá sé am," his mother whispered to his father, who left the hut. He came back with a long shepherd's staff Jack had watched him make the day before. He waved his hand at Jack, who quickly jumped to his feet.

Jack’s father made a grand deal of passing over the staff to him. Jack’s brown eyes widened as he took the gift, a sign that he was becoming a man. He ran his fingers over the wood, lifted up the staff and felt its weight in his own hands, and then set it down on the floor.

His father smiled, and wrapped his son up in a massive hug. “Fáilte.”

 

* * *

 

Jack fell out of the memory like you fall out of bed. He woke up with a start, his heart racing and his forehead sweating. He couldn’t feel his tears begin to well up until they started to stream down his face.

“Thank you, Tooth.” He walked over to her and gave her a hug, one that rivaled the size of the hugs he used to receive from his dad. He lingered there for a second, letting their weight support each other, and buried his face closer into her feathers. “Ah.” He let go of her and wiped his tears with his hoodie. They froze into the pattern of frost left at the end of his sleeve.

Tooth could see the awkwardness start to build inside of Jack as he attempted to come up with a transition into a happier subject. “So... I hear the yetis are making a feast before North leaves! There will be fruitcake!”

Jack laughed. “Well, I’ll go for the fruitcake, but I’ll stay for the company.”

**Author's Note:**

> The Gaeilge is limited to Google translate/my very basic knowledge of the language. If anyone finds any errors, let me know! Here are the translations:
> 
> “Is fada liom uaim mo mhuintir.” - I miss my family.  
> “Athair, an féidir liom go bhfuil roinnt deoch?” - Father, can I have some drink?  
> “Aye! An deoch is fearr do mo mhac.” - Aye! Only the best for my son.  
> “Níl ach beagán!” - But only a little!  
> “Tá an leanbh ag teacht!” - The baby’s coming!  
> “Ní mór duit teacht ar aon uair amháin!” - You must come at once!  
> "Tá tú deirfiúr." - You have a sister.  
> "Tá sé am." - It’s time.  
> “Fáilte.” - Welcome.


End file.
